산지유통 활성화를 위한 농식품법인의 역할강화와 정책과제

Abstract

농업법인은 영농조합법인과 농업회사법인 형태로 설립되어 농업생산과 농산물 유통과정에서 하나의 주체로서 역할을 담당하고 있다. 농업생산단계에서는 가족농 중심의 농업구조를 개선하는 역할을 담당하고, 산지유통단계에서는 농업의 시장교섭력을 제고하는 역할을 담당하고 있다. 그러나 이러한 혼재된 역할로 인하여 농업법인의 발전방안 마련이 잘 이루어지지 않고 있는 실정이다. 농업법인은 개별적으로 영세한 규모이어서 경쟁력 부족으로 인한 시장교섭력, 대응능력이 낮다는 한계점을 가지고 있다. 따라서 이러한 점을 개선할 수 있는 발전방안을 마련할 필요가 있다.

최근에는 유통단계의 농업법인이 경쟁력을 제고하기 위하여 농식품법인연합회를 구성하였다. 개별로 결성된 농업CEO연합회를 개인이 아닌 농업법인이 회원이 되는 농식품법인연합회로 전환한 것이다. 이에 따라 농업법인의 발전을 위한 연합회의 역할과 기능을 정립하는 것이 과제이다. 농식품법인연합회가 사업기능을 수행하여야 하는가, 회원법인의 책임과 의무를 어떻게 설정할 것인가, 경영정보관리기능을 강화할 방향은 무엇인가 등의 방향을 설정할 필요가 있다.

이 연구는 농업발전과 산지유통 활성화를 위한 농업법인의 발전방안과 그 연합회의 기능강화 방안을 도출하고자 한 것이다.

Background of Research The role of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) occupies an important position in the field of agricultural marketing. But since NACF's business does not cover all farmers as clients and since it does not properly satisfy farmers' needs, farmers have organized agricultural corporations to enhance their position in the distribution of agricultural products. Moreover, agricultural corporations formed the Federation of Korean Agrifood Corporation (FKAC) to jointly promote their business and improve the efficiency of shipping their products. But, because the business conditions of local agricultural corporations has been deteriorating due to the organizational restructuring of NACF and the entry of large corporations into the business of shipping agricultural produce from farm districts, it has become an important task for agricultural corporations to improve their business competitiveness. Additionally, it has become necessary to re-establish the status and roles of FKAC.

Method of Research In order to find out the overall business conditions and status of agricultural corporations and their problems, data analysis was conducted using the survey data of the National Statistical Office on agricultural and fishery corporations. Also, a questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the business situation of agricultural corporations that are members of the Federation of Korean Agrifood Corporation (FKAC). In addition, a case study was conducted to learn about the experiences of the National Association of Fruit & Vegetable Distributors and Exporters (ANEEFEL) of France and suggest several ways of strengthening the role of FKAC.

Research Results and Implications First, the business situation of Korean agricultural corporations was examined. In particular, their roles and problems concerning the distribution of agricultural produce in farm districts were identified based on the data on business situation. The identified problems are the problems that need to be addressed to increase farm size through mergers and acquisitions, improve the trading method between farmers and corporations, and change the business environment. Next, the current agricultural corporate systems and government policies are examined. The analysis results showed that the following tasks should be dealt with: setting up of systemic development goals and directions for agricultural corporations, clear classification of target corporations by business category, and establishment and fostering of agricultural corporation management agencies. In addition, the following development measures are suggested to redefine the role of the Federation of Korean Agrifood Corporation (FKAC): clarification of the purpose for establishing FKAC, revision of membership rules, and setting up of organization and operating systems. In conclusion, this study has found that the following measures are needed to further develop agricultural corporations: strengthening of management transparency, pursuit of economy of scale, and preparation of a plan to separate the management legislation from the legal base of agricultural corporations. Those four points are provided as the basic direction for improving overall agricultural corporations and are approached in terms of enhancing the functional capability and remedying the deficiencies of the legal system. As for the areas in which FKAC's roles should be strengthened, the following four areas are suggested: representation of agricultural corporations, management of business information including accounting standards, strengthening of consulting capabilities, and promotion of joint business projects.

Researchers: Eui-Sik Hwang, Byung-Ok Choi, Tae-Yi Kim, Kee-Hyun Lee E-mail address: eshwang@krei.re.kr